YDS READING PASSAGES / TEST 4 40. Soru

-14. THE FATE OF CONCORDE

Concorde was considered to be the safest airliner in the world as measured by passenger-deaths per passenger-mile, until a plane crashed during take-off in Paris on July 25, 2000, which killed 113 people. As a result, all Concorde flights were shut down for an investigation into the cause of the crash and possible remedies. After safety updates on the aircraft, both routes were reopened on November 7, 2001. The investigation into the crash determined that a scrap of titanium metal that fell onto the runway from an earlier Continental Airlines DC-10 flight punctured a tyre in the latter stages of take-off. Chunks of shredded tire penetrated the skin of the aircraft's wing, rupturing a loaded fuel tank. A tremendous fire rapidly ensued, disabling the aircraft, which then stalled and crashed into a hotel just miles from the airport, killing all the people on board the airplane and four persons on the ground. On April 10, 2003, British Airways and Air France simultaneously announced that they would retire Concorde in October that year. They cited low passenger numbers following the July 25, 2000 crash and rising maintenance costs.

According to the passage, a lack of passengers and high costs have brought about ------ .